Learning Lab, Scale, In-Process Showing, 2022 | Photo Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
LabE: Mapping Accessible Dance in Chicago
Gathering to collectively compile a list of accessible dance studios, classes and performance spaces in Chicago.
Sunday, February 5, 1:00pm-3:00pm
Experimental Station, 6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago, IL
Limited capacity. Advanced registration is required and appreciated.
Supported by High Concept Labs and the Monira Foundation in Joint Residency at Experimental Station
Join us for the first gathering of LabE hosted by HCL Fellow Artist Maggie Bridger, a monthly cohort meeting dedicated to uplifting and supporting disabled dance artists in Chicago.
On February 5th, we'll come together as a community to collectively compile a list of accessible dance studios, classes, and performance spaces in the city. By building community and crowdsourcing our favorite places to rehearse, take class, and perform, LabE hopes to create a more inclusive and accessible dance scene in Chicago for all.
Learning Lab, Scale, In-Process Showing, 2022 | Photo Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
About LabE
LabE, for Residency at Experimental Station, is a series of monthly cohort meetings addressing particular needs of disabled dance artists, such as studio access, development and production support, and platforms for promoting Chicago’s sick, Deaf and disabled dance artists. Through the lab programming, the community uses the space for workshops, work-in-progress showings, salons, and social gatherings. HCL plans to support selected LabE events as part of the Open Labs series.
Who should attend?
All LabE events are open to Chicago-area dance artists who self-identify as Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing, sick, mad, neurodivergent, disabled or living with a disability, and/or who have lived experience with disability, chronic injury/pain or impairment. The space is particularly meant for those interested in exploring disability and impairment-informed modes of practicing dance.
Where is LabE?
This is a hybrid event. The in-person portion will take place at the Experimental Station (6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago, IL 60637). The online portion will take place via Zoom, with the zoom link sent out to all registrants in advance of the event. We are still experimenting with our hybrid setup and appreciate your patience and collaborative spirit in working out the kinks!
Purpose of LabE
Throughout the year, the community will meet once a month in-person at Experimental Station, with remote meetings scheduled as needed. Each month’s meeting will be dedicated to addressing one of the four action items that emerged out of 2022’s Convening of Chicago’s Disabled Dance Artists at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Learning Lab supported by High Concept Labs.
These four action items were:
In-Process Showings: Create informal spaces to show/talk about work in progress
Training Development: Develop access & disability pedagogy trainings for the local dance community
Community Building Events: Organize social/community building spaces
Funding Application Writing Group: Host a writing group for artists working on funding applications
To meet these needs, we plan to meet the first Sunday of each month with the goal of addressing one of these needs each month. You are very welcome to attend the events/meetings that most interest you - participants are not required to attend every meeting.
Learning Lab, Scale, In-Process Showing, 2022 | Photo Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
About the Artist
Maggie Bridger is a 2022 City of Chicago Individual Artist Program grantee, and PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Disability and Human Development. She is a co-founder of the Inclusive Dance Workshop Series at Access Living, for which she and her project partner received a 2021 Chicago Area Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. She was part of the inaugural cohort of the Dancing Disability Lab at UCLA and serves on the planning committee for CounterBalance, Chicago's annual integrated dance concert.